WPP acquires influencer agency that worked on President Biden’s election campaign
WPP has acquired Village Marketing, the US influencer agency credited in 2020 with plugging in Joe Biden’s presidential election campaign to the creator scene.
WPP has acquired Village Marketing, which has an entirely female staff
Village will become part of the Wunderman Thompson network in order to provide a deeper influencer and creator economy offering to that agency’s clients.
Chief executive Mark Read said in a statement: “Influencers have an increasingly important role in creating brands. Village Marketing will bring tremendous experience with some of the world’s leading brands in using influencer content alongside performance marketing strategies to drive results for modern marketers. I’m delighted to welcome them to WPP.”
The acquisition is part of a “focused“ strategy the holding company is pursuing under Read.
Village Marketing has 150 staff – all women – and was founded in 2013. Its clients include Nike, Netflix and spin brand SoulCycle, and it also managed the influencer partnership strategy for president Biden’s campaign.
Vickie Segar, the agency’s founder, said: “For decades, the creator economy and influencer marketing have been wildly misunderstood and undervalued. We are now at a tipping point where this is changing – and it’s changing fast.
“This acquisition is a massive opportunity for us to leverage the expertise of a global leader to both turbocharge our investment in the creator economy and integrate influencer marketing into the broader marketing ecosystem. We can’t wait to join the Wunderman Thompson family to continue to evolve the future of marketing and work on inspiring brands with entrepreneurial creators.”
Wunderman Thompson global chief executive Mel Edwards added: “Wunderman Thompson is a destination for brands that want to access the best creative minds and the strongest expertise in data and technology. As Village Marketing joins the Wunderman Thompson family, we can make its full community of creators more accessible and available to our clients, which are among the world’s biggest brands.”